Electroconvulsive therapy, also known as ECT, is a type of psychiatric shock therapy. ECT involves the induction of a seizure in a patient by passing electricity through the brain. In the 1930s, Ugo Cerletti, the Italian psychiatrist, came up with the idea for treating human beings with Electroconvulsive therapy. He was observing the barbaric act of slaughterhouse hogs being electrocuted into unconsciousness so that it was easier for workers to slit their throats. He then thought that it could also apply to human beings as a treatment for mental illnesses. ECT may be used in people with symptoms such as delusions, hallucinations, or suicidal thoughts. Doctors found this method of psychiatric therapy especially useful when other treatments such as psychotherapy and antidepressant medications had not worked. It has also become useful for the treatment of other psychiatric and neurological conditions, such as schizophrenia and Parkinson\'s disease.
The aim of ECT is to induce a......
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